Issaquah gymnasts dedicate lone home meet to Bob Taylor
January 15, 2013
Elise Bugge, Issaquah High School sophomore, is in a zone of happiness as she works on her uneven bars routine Jan. 10 during the Eagles’ gymnastics meet against Roosevelt. By Greg Farrar
The Issaquah High gymnastics squad made the most of its only home appearance of the regular season Jan. 10 to trim the visiting Roosevelt contingent, 150-139.
The gymnasts stepped up on Senior Night, and dedicating their endeavors to the late Bob Taylor, longtime sports editor for The Issaquah Press and a gymnastics enthusiast.
Issaquah junior standout Rebecca Chinn turned in solid performances in the vault and the beam events with a pair of bronzes, recording a tandem of 8.55 points.
Meanwhile, Issaquah junior gymnasts Amanda Dumont and Elise Bugge finished in the top 10 in the vault and floor exercises.
Issaquah High School coach sees potential in gymnasts’ loss
December 18, 2012
Due to circumstances beyond their control (holiday band concerts and illnesses depleting the Eagles’ varsity roster) the Issaquah High School gymnastics squad posted one of the lowest totals Dec. 13 at Bothell High School with a 136.45 effort, losing to Woodinville, Bothell and Ballard.
Retiring Sports Editor Bob Taylor shares milestones from a long career on the sidelines
March 6, 2012
Kasen Williams, then-Skyline High School senior, makes his winning triple-jump leap of 45 feet, 5 1/2 inches, during the KingCo track and field championships May 13, 2011, at Juanita High School. File
I kind of know how Bill Gates must have felt when he made his first million. When I joined The Issaquah Press news staff May 22, 2000, I struck it rich, too!
Five days after being hired at The Press I covered my first Issaquah School District state championship team. Actually, it was inevitable that an Issaquah team would win when Issaquah and Skyline met for the 3A state baseball title in Tacoma’s Cheney Stadium. Issaquah won 5-3.
Liberty girls basketball team finishes third in KingCo
February 3, 2012
NEW — 11:30 a.m. Feb. 3, 2012
The Liberty High School girls basketball team bounced back from two tough losses earlier this week to defeat visiting Mount Si 57-46 Thursday in the Patriots’ final regular-season contest.
Liberty finished third in the KingCo Conference 3A/2A standings with a 10-4 record. The Patriots, 14-6 overall, host Mercer Island at 7 p.m. Feb. 6 in the opening round of the league tournament.
The Patriots, who lost to co-leaders Lake Washington and Juanita earlier in the week, shot to a 17-12 first-quarter lead against Mount Si and never looked back. Liberty held a commanding 27-17 halftime lead on Senior Night.
Appropriately for the Patriots, seniors played a major part in the victory. Senior Aspen Winegar scored a game-high 17 points. Seniors Stephanie Year, Megan Tsutakawa and Morgan Safley contributed nine, seven and three points respectively. Sophomore Sierra Carlson added 16 points.
More honors for Skyline quarterback Max Browne
January 10, 2012
Skyline High School quarterback Max Browne continues to collect accolades. Most recently, he was selected as one of 20 juniors for the 2013 U.S. Army All-American Bowl that showcases top players from across the nation.
In addition, he earned honorable mention on SI.com’s 2011 High School All-America team, and was named the Gatorade Washington Player of the Year, and the Associated Press Player of the Year for all classifications. Browne has been rated by Rivals.com as one of the first five-star recruits in the 2013 recruiting class.
Browne threw for 4,034 yards and 45 touchdowns last season and helped Skyline to an 11-3 record and the 4A state title.
According to Rivals.com, Browne has received scholarship offers from California, Clemson, Colorado, Utah, Washington and Wisconsin.
Eagle gymnasts earn high marks at state
February 22, 2011
Coach Ryan Fleisher (back to camera) and Olivia Goree, Issaquah senior, embrace as Goree finishes her high school gymnastics career with a floor routine Feb. 19 during the 4A state gymnastics tournament at the Tacoma Dome. By Sebastian Moraga
Issaquah High School gymnasts A.J. Bowers and Olivia Goree both came away with high places Feb. 19 at the 4A state gymnastics tournament in the Tacoma Dome.
Bowers, in her first year of varsity gymnastics, finished fourth in vault. Goree, a senior, capped her varsity career by finishing fifth on the balance beam and tying for eighth in floor exercise.
While Bowers beamed from the Tacoma Dome podium, Goree wept at the end of her floor performance in the arms of head coach Ryan Fleisher.
Fleisher, the 2011 4A Washington State Gymnastics Coach of the Year, had high praise for both.
“I thought she did really well,” Fleisher said of Bowers. “To make it to state in your first year on the team, in the toughest league and not let the intimidation factor get to you, she did great.”
Two local wrestlers grab regional titles
February 15, 2011
David White, of Issaquah High School, and Hamilton Noel, of Liberty High School, each won individual titles Feb. 12 in their respective regional wrestling tournaments.
White captured the 145-pound class at the Region II Tournament at Skyline. He defeated Austin Henderson, of Bethel, 7-2 in the final. White was the only 4A KingCo Conference wrestler to win a regional title.
He opened the tournament with a 10-0 victory against Bothell’s Dustin Rhode and defeated Inglemoor’s Brian Trabun 13-2 in the semifinals.
Issaquah teammate Max Tickman placed third in the 112-pound class after defeating Brett Dykman, of Beamer, 10-4. Almen Thorpe, of Issaquah, took fifth in the 135-pound class with a 7-0 victory against Redmond’s Brandon Long. Sean Novak, of Issaquah, placed fifth in the 140-pound class after pinning Eastlake’s Nykolai Peterson in 2:26.
Issaquah finished ninth in the tournament with 56 points. Graham-Kapowsin took first place with 194 points.
Liberty High School girls basketball team stuns Juanita
February 9, 2011
NEW — 10:30 a.m. Feb. 9, 2011
The Liberty High School girls basketball team got one of its biggest victories of the season Tuesday when the Patriots topped Juanita 53-44 in the semifinals of the 3A KingCo Conference tournament at Bellevue College.
Juanita, the regular-season champion, had defeated Liberty twice during the season. However, the Patriots took control in tournament contest by shooting to a 19-12 first-quarter lead. Liberty held a commanding 32-21 lead at halftime.
Danni Sjolander and Aspen Winegar each scored 15 points to lead the Patriots.
Liberty plays Mount Si at 8:15 p.m. Feb. 10 in the tournament title game. Mount Si defeated Mercer Island 61-49 in the other semifinal.
The top four KingCo teams and the top eight from the Metro League advance to the Sea-King District Tournament, which begins Saturday.
Eagles take season’s final meet from Spartans
February 1, 2011
Amanda ‘A.J.’ Bowers, of Issaquah, performs a backflip on the balance beam while earning a 7.4. By Greg Farrar
When the judges announced Skyline High School’s score at the end of the gymnastics meet Jan. 27, the team celebrated, coach Debbie Gliner said.
The team had worked all season to hit the 140-point mark and it made it.
“When we heard the final team score, I think that was a really exciting moment for us,” Gliner said. “We knew it would be a year of rebuilding and growth, and it’s exciting to see how far they’ve come.”
Skyline hit a team milestone, but ultimately Issaquah beat the Spartans, 166.130-141.8, in the final meet of the regular season. Overall, Newport did best, finishing the meet with a score of 173.8. Redmond took third overall with 158.675.
“To finish out the regular season knowing everybody’s trying new things, it’s fun to see all those new things come together,” Issaquah coach Ryan Fleisher said. “I’m pleased with where everybody finished.”
Graduating gymnast continues to captivate with power, grace
February 1, 2011
Olivia Goree, Issaquah senior, works her balance beam routine to earn a score of 9.05 Jan. 13 against Eastlake, Roosevelt and Bothell. By Greg Farrar
Issaquah High School senior Olivia Goree has been competing in gymnastics since she was 6. But it’s been in the past four years, during her time on the high school team, that she developed a true passion for the sport.
Goree, who decided to leave her competitive club team upon entering high school, said, “Coming to high school is more of a team aspect. Club is more individual.”
She said she found club to be much more stressful.
“I was kind of a perfectionist, but I think high school gymnastics has allowed me to let go of all of that stress and really enjoy the sport for what it is,” she said.
Goree has furthered her talents and gained recognition for her success. Last year, she finished seventh in all-around competition and third on the balance beam at the 4A state championships. This year, The Seattle Times mentioned her in its “Gymnastics preview: 5 Things to Watch” under the category of “Who looks strong individually in 4A.”
